Valve with self-anchoring seal



Oct. 6, 1953 T. R. SMITH VALVE WITH SELF-ANCHORING SEAL Filed March 8,1949 ZZZ/a Patented Oct. 6, 1953 VALVE WITH .SELF-ANGHORING "SEAL ThomasSmith, .Newton, :I'owa, mssignor to The Maytag'Gompany, Newton, .zlowa,iaecorporation of Delaware Application March 8, 1949, SerialN-o. 180,129

3 'Claims.

The present invention :relates to a seal construction and especially toa novel seal and seal assembly in which the seal is so designed andconstructed as to be self-anchoring and retained inoperative positionwithout-the aid of anyrother securing means such as screws, washers,rivets, etc.

Among the objects "of the present invention is the provision of --a"-novel seal construction -'-provided with 'a radial and outwardlyprojecting shoulder or flange adapted to be conformably received andretained in *a complementar-y recess or channel in the supportin memberfor the seal. 'The present construction and manner 'of assembly requiresno other securing means for retaining the seal in its operative"position.

The present invention further comprehends a novel seal having animperforate base and an interlocking annular shoulder or outwardlyprojecting radial flange for anchoring and retaining the seal inoperative position in the member in or by which it is supported orcarried.

Further objects, advantages and capabilities will later more fullyappear or are inherently possessed by my novel seal construction.

This application is a continuation 'in part of my copending applicationSerial No. 658,696, filed April '1, 1946, now Patent No. 2,'568;52l),issued September 18, 1951.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view .in vertical cross-section through one form of .faucetemploying the novel seal and showing *the position and arrangement ofthe valve assembly when :the :valve is moved to open position.

.Fig. ,2 is a fragmentary enlarged view :in vertical cross-sectionthrough .the faucet :or valve body and the novel seal and showing their:relation when the valve is moved to ;.closed position.

Fig. 3 is'a view in vertical cross-section through another form offaucet with the novel seal mounted in a recess or opening in the :end.ofthe valve stem and the valve 'being shown in closed position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged view in vertical cross-section throughthe faucet body and valve assembly of Fig. 3, but showing the valve inopen position.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. the valve in closed position.

Referring more particularly :to the disclosure in the drawing and to theillustrative embodiments therein shown, the novel seal is shownassembled or embodied in two forms of faucets,

a, but showing in one of which the seal is assembled and re- 2 tained inthe body-of the faucet and'in the other the seal is assembled andcarried in the movable valve stem.

In the faucet construction shown in Figs. *1 and 2, the assemblycomprises a faucet :body I having a threaded connection or Shari-k 2"for removably mounting the faucet upon any --suitalble supportand-connecting it with an "inlet pipe t-not shown") through which wateror other fluid is supplied to the faucet. threaded connection and thefaucet bod-y are-formed with a bore providing an inlet opening '3'therethrough and communicating with an "outlet opening 4 in a.discharge spout or nozzle 5.

In the inlet opening 3 is slidably mounted a valve plunger -B havingapassage "I therethrough communicating with the inlet opening 3 *andadapted to communicate with the outlet mpening 4 when the valve plungeris in its "lowered, open position as in Fig. '1. The upper portion ofthe valve plunger is reduced at -8 and the upper-open end 9 thereof isadapted to enter 'a downwardly opening recess I 0 provided in the upperportion or head "H of the faucet body to restrict or cut o'ii the flow"of liquid through the passage "-7. This recess "I'll "is undercut "orchannelled at 1''! whereby to conformal-fly receive -a novel seal =01sealing element 43 provided with an imperforate base i 4, a "radiallyoutwardly =pro'j ec'ting shoulder or flange I 5 conforming to theundercut-enchannel i2 provided at the 'base of the'recess I11, and anannular "depending sealing face or It whose outer wall is preferably.eontiguous with and supported 'by the side wall of the recess.

The novel .seal or sealin element 13 is formed or im'olded of :a:suitable resilient material .such as .natural or compounded syntheticrubber-that is impervious to the water or fluid flowing through thefaucet, and with its depending sea-ling lip t6 z-adapted to be engagedby'thempper end 9 of the plunger as :it is moved or projected upwardlyinto the recess III. This upper end 9 oi the plunger 8 'forms =-a yallveseat for seating and sealing contact with the sealing of the presentseal.

To prevent leakage between the valve plunger and adjacent interior ofthe *iaucet body "by the fluid under pressure, the valve plunger isprovided with a substantially -V-shaped groove or recess f! in which is"positioned a resilient seaiing ring =18 of greater external diameterthan the internal diameter of the bore or adjacent surface of the"faucet body whereby the sea-ling or contacting 'face of the sealingring is *in m.

tinuous wiping and sealing contact with the interior of the faucet body.

Manually controlled means are provided to move the valve plunger 6 inthe faucet body to closed or open position and to thereby effectivelycontrol the flow of fluid therethrough. To raise the valve plunger toclosed position in which the upper or seating end B'enters the open endof the recess I and engages the sealing lip or lower face I6 of thenovel seal I3, or to lower the valve plunger to successively disengagethe valve seat 9 from the sealing lip or face IS, withdraw the upper endof the plunger from the recess l0 and open the valve for the passage ofwater or other fluid under pressure, the plunger is provided adjacentits lower end with an elongated and transversely disposed slot I9adapted to conformably receive an eccentric pin on the end of a shaft orstem 2|.

The shaft or stem 2| is rotatably mounted or journalled in a bore oropening 22 in the faucet body and sealed against leakage by means of aresilient sealing ring 23 pivotally or shiftably positioned in asubstantially V-shaped groove or recess 24 provided in the body of thefaucet. At its outer end 25 the shaft or stem 21 is tapered to receive ahandle 26 which is retained thereon by means of a screw or bolt 21received in a threaded recess 28 in the outwardly tapered end 25 of theshaft or stem, and the latter and its eccentric pin 20 are retained inoperative position by a snap ring 29 removably mounted in an annularrecess in the bore or opening 22. It is to be noted that when theeccentric pin 28 is in its upper position to seal the passage, itprovides a stop to limit the longitudinal compression on the sealing lipHi.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5, my novel self-anchoring seal or sealing element I3is shown employed in a faucet of the type provided with a threaded andlongitudinally movable valve stem in the lower end of which is mountedthe seal. In this construction there is provided a valve body 30 havinga. threaded connector or shank 3| formed with an inlet opening 32communicating with an outlet opening 33 in a spout or nozzle 34 througha reduced passage 35 disposed at the upper end of the inlet 32. In thebody of the faucet is the valve stem 36 longitudinally movable andadjustable in a cap or packing nut 31 through a a threaded connection at38, the cap in turn being detachably mounted or threaded into the upperend 39 of the faucet body 30. A handle 4| is shown detachably mounted onthe upper and outer tapered end 42 of the valve stem and held in placeby a screw or bolt 43. A gasket seal or washer 44 is preferably providedto seal the packing nut against leakage while to effectively seal andprevent leakage along the valve stem 36 this stem is provided with asubstantially V-shaped recess or groove 45 in which is disposed aresilient sealing ring 46.

The valve stem 36 is disclosed as provided with a recess 41 at its lowerend opening downwardly toward the valve seat 48 provided in the faucetbody and encompassing the passage 35. At or adjacent its base thisrecess is undercut or channelled at 49 to conformably receive theradially outwardly projecting shoulder or flange l5 and which shoulderor flange provides the sole anchoring means for retaining the seal inits operative position. The depending annular end 5| of the valve stemprovides a stop which contacts the faucet body about the valve seat 48after the sealing face or lip l6 contacts the valve seat, and

this metal-to-metal contact effectively limits the amount of squeeze orendwise compression to which the seal may be subjected in use.

The seal 13 as well as the sealing rings employed for sealing againstleakage about the plunger or valve stem, are all formed of a resilientmaterial such as natural or compounded synthetic rubber that may bereadily deformed but quickly returns or tends to return to its originalshape. Such material has a relatively long life and is highly resistantto wear and to chemical and other influences to which it may besubjected in use.

From the above description it will be apparent that the presentinvention comprehends a novel valve seal formed of a resilient materialand provided with an imperforate base, an annular depending sealing lip,and a radial or outwardly projecting shoulder or peripheral flange whichwhen forced into a complementary recess in a valve assembly, securelyanchors the seal in operative position. Although this flange or shoulderand the liquid or fluid under pressure is relied upon for anchoring andretaining the seal in position, such seal will be maintained inoperative position under all conditions to which it may be subjected inuse, even under a relatively high vacuum. By forming the seal in themanner disclosed with its imperforate base and flange fitting snugly inthe recess and undercut or channel, no water or other fluid underpressure can find access in and about the rear surface of the seal. Dueto the resiliency of the material from which this seal is constructed,it is a simple matter to assemble, disassemble or replace a seal whichsnaps into position when forced into its recess.

Having thus disclosed the invention, I claim:

1. In a sealing construction for a faucet body provided with a fluidpassage, a valve seat encompassing the passage and a valve membermovable in the body, said valve member provided with a recess providedin the lower end opening toward the passage and valve seat and having acircumferential side wall and a channel at the base of the recess and ofgreater diameter providing an annular offset, and a preformed resilientsealing element mounted in the recess and comprising a flat, imperforatebase against which the fluid pressure acts, a depending annular sealinglip projecting outwardly from the base in contact with thecircumferential side wall of the recess and adapted to engage and sealagainst the valve seat to close the passage, and a radially outwardlyprojecting flange conformably received in the annular offset to therebyanchor and retain the seal in position, and means for limiting the axialcompression on the sealing lip.

2. In a valve seal construction for a valve body provided with a passagetherethrough, a valve seat encompassing the discharge end of thispassage and a plunger relatively movable with respect to the seat, anundercut recess in the lower portion of said plunger opening toward thepassage and seat, and a preformed, resilient selfsealing element mountedin the recess and having an imperforate base and a circumferentialannular shoulder disposed in the bottom of the recess with the shoulderclosely fitting and conforming to the undercut, an annular dependingsealing lip disposed inwardly from the outer circumference of theshoulder and projecting toward the valve seat and slightly beyond thelower portion of the plunger, the outer circumference of the sealing lipbeing encompassed and supported by the side wall of the recess, andmeans for limiting the compression to which the sealing lip may besubjected in use.

3. In a sealing construction for a member provided with a passagetherethrough and a valve seat encompassing the passage, a memberrelatively movable with respect to the valve seat and having a recesstherein opening toward the passage, said recess having an annularundercut at the bottom thereof to provide an outer radial shoulder, anda resilient sealing element carried within the recess and preformed toprovide an imperforate base portion conforming to the bottom of saidrecess, a radially outwardly extending annular shoulder integral withsaid imperforate base snugly received and anchored within the annularundercut of the recess to provide the sole retaining means for saidsealing element, and an integral annular sealing lip confined by theencompassing wall of the recess and extending outwardly beyond saidundercut shoulder for engaging said valve seat.

THOMAS B. SMITH.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number 5 486,839 1,321,6731,586,347 1,662,291 1,695,536 10 1,913,381 2,318,236 2,397,269 2,403,0282,403,029 15 2,408,006 2,414,908

Number 20 184,911

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date McNeil Nov. 22, 1892 Sayward Nov. 11,1919 Wilson May 25, 1926 Bastian Sept. 7, 1926 Crowley Dec. 18, 1928Grass June 13, 1933 Layton May 4, 1943 Kelly Mar. 26, 1946 Smith July 2,1946 Smith July 2, 1946 Smith Sept. 24, 1946 Smith Jan. 28, 1947 FOREIGNPATENTS Country Date Great Britain of 1922

